Explain Everything is an app for
creating and sharing screencasts on iOS and Android devices (http://www.morriscooke.com/).
I have used this interactive whiteboard in my own classes to introduce new
content, review exam solutions, and discuss homework problems in-depth. Although
there are a number of screencasting applications available for tablets, there
are several reasons that I think Explain Everything shines above the rest. First,
the app has basic editing features that allow the user to pause, rewind, and
record over previously saved audio or video. This is particularly useful when
you make a small mistake in a screencast and want to redo the audio or video
(or both). Second, the app allows the user to easily break up a screencast into
multiple pages. These pages can then be uploaded as one continuous screencast
or several individual videos. This type of functionality is very helpful
because it lets you split up a long discussion into smaller parts. Additionally,
when combine with the app’s editing features, multiple pages allow you to replace
portions of a screencast without having to redo an entire video. Third, Explain
Everything can upload videos to a number of different sites including Youtube,
Dropbox, Google Docs, and Evernote. In my own courses, I found that exporting
screencasts to a share folder on Google Docs was an easy way to share them with
students. Fourth, the app supports importing pdfs and images as screencast
backgrounds making it simple to work through an exam or discuss a diagram.
These features
coupled with an intuitive user interface make Explain Everything my go-to
application for creating screencasts on a tablet. At a price of $2.99, the app
is an affordable option for anyone hoping to incorporate screencasting into his
or her teaching. One additional note, heavy users should consider buying the
Explain Everything Compressor ($14.99). This program allows you to transfer raw
screencast files to a mac/pc, compress the video, and then upload the finished
screencast. Without the compressor, lengthy videos (10 minutes+) will take a
long time to compress and upload on the tablet making the device unusable
during the process.Submitted by Josh Hertel, Mathematics
